Connecting passionate people through national service.

Stewards in the Field – Issue 1 – January-June 2016 In the first half of 2016, BRIDGE Network supported the service of hundreds of AmeriCorps members in land management and community development projects across the country. Through the efforts of our partners, our staff, and most of all, our ‘Stewards in the Field,’ we are…

Every spring and fall, BRIDGE Network hosts a three day training event that is available for all Community Stewards and select Environmental Stewards. BRIDGE Training connects program participants to one another, trains them in practical service related skills, and prepares them for the next step in their professional careers. Last month (May 2016), BRIDGE Network held a training…

I remember the first time someone asked me what my passion was. For the first time, it wasn’t a question about my major or what kind of career I was pursuing, which was a relief for a second year General Studies major at Texas State University—San Marcos. I had changed my major three times in…

By Ben Bartee – DOI/VISTA Leader From Oxford Dictionary: “Fundamentalism /ˌfəndəˈmen(t)lˌizəm/, noun, ‘…adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline.’” One heady question, among many, perplexed me prior to joining Community Stewards as a DOI/VISTA Leader in November 2015. A satisfying answer likely eludes many who are introduced to our work: What could…

I found my way to an AmeriCorps VISTA position slowly. I had been mulling over serving for years. Both my parents served in the Navy and service to country meant a great deal to them. I wanted to give back to my country too but I didn’t have the heart to be a soldier. Instead,…

Roughly a year ago, I was offered a job with AmeriCorps. Well actually, I was offered the job via my mother; she had to take a message for me because when I got the phone call, I had been in the midst of a cleaning spree at my old position. I was in a rundown, locally…

Hi! My name is Melissa Gomez and I wanted to share with everyone the life changing experience I had during my first year as a VISTA. Let me begin by giving you all my 1-minute elevator speech. I am a second year DOI/VISTA AmeriCorps member and the Youth Environmental Stewardship Coordinator for a small urban…

Within recent months, nine AmeriCorps VISTAs serving with BRIDGE Network on the DOI/VISTA Team have made the decision to stay on for a second year of service at their site. When a VISTA chooses to stay a second year, they are able to #buildcapacity at their sites and continue to develop and advance the projects they…

http://www.gobridgenet.org Pictured Above: Park Superintendent Dr. Joy Kinard and Volunteers at Charles Young Buffalo Soldier’s National Monument during the site’s MLK Day event where volunteers assisted in the cleaning of Youngsholm in Wilberforce, OH. This Martin Luther King Day, January 18, 2016, BRIDGE Network Members served across the country at a variety of community volunteer…

Not only did Dr. King stand up for his beliefs and values, but more importantly he advocated for the American people and a sense of community – far and wide. Dr. King believed and practiced service above self. This MLK Day the BRIDGE Network Support office is honoring Dr. King’s Legacy by collecting non-perishable food items …

It might seem like a no-brainer, but National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and other public lands belong to all Americans. Despite that fact, many Americans don’t experience the benefits of learning, serving, and working on public lands. The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is partnering with AmeriCorps*VISTA and BRIDGE Network to develop innovative solutions…

For decades, the rivers of Appalachia have run orange. Caused by early unregulated coal mining practices and abandoned mines, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is still present in hundreds of waterways in Appalachia and around the world. Scientifically, AMD causes the death of macro-invertebrates, fish, and aquatic plant life, coating affected waterways in orange iron-oxide. Socially, communities impacted by AMD and the broader impacts of legacy mining…